A Promise in the Shadows: Part 2
Posting this to the personal journal, because I didn't use any prompts, I just needed to move the plot.
Back to normal RaTs posting for the next one.
Title: A Promise in the Shadows: Part 2
Main Story: Cryptomancy
Word Count: 1315
Rating: PG
Summary: Continued from A Promise in the Shadows. In which Chaill and Albion come to an understanding.
Albion was not as tame a creature as Bug. He’d followed the guards down with no resistance, I’d noticed, but his was clearly not a quiet soul. I only had to walk a little way before I heard wordless shouting, and I followed that until the shouts began to take shape.
“More wine!” seemed to be the favored cry, and as I followed the sound of his voice and he finally came into view, I could see there was already an empty bottle lying on its side next to him.
I held my breath as I approached, as though sneaking up on him would somehow help my cause. Clearly, the attempt had been misguided in itself, because I’d barely taken three steps when he shouted, “Who’s there?”
I stopped, not daring to move or breathe, just outside the halo of light thrown by a lanthorn hanging just outside Albion’s cell. He squinted into the darkness for a moment, then grasped the bottle by its neck and brought it down hard against the ground. It broke into several jagged pieces, little stones of green glass littering the floor of the dungeon. I let out a squeak at the sound, but clapped my hand over my mouth.
This was clearly a dangerous man. I’d been wrong to come looking for him, and Bug just hadn’t known what she’d been asking me to do. I would go upstairs, run back to bed, and perhaps she’d be wrong and the bird wouldn’t come out. Or perhaps the whole thing would turn out to be a dream, and I’d wake in my bed and don my livery and work with Bug in the aviary. Or perhaps even that had been a dream, and when I awoke I would be back home in London, and my father would be alive.
Albion picked up one of the larger pieces of debris left by the smashed bottle and flung it into the shadow. It sailed past my head. I was glad to be still covering my own mouth, or perhaps I would have gasped. “Who’s out there?” he asked again, picking up another fragment of glass. This one didn’t even come close to me, but I still remained rooted to the spot, unable, for some reason, to run.
Another piece of glass, and another. “Show yourself!” This time, when he threw the bit of glass, he did not miss me. It brushed against my hand, which made me pull it away from my face in shock. Then I did gasp, as I looked down to see a thin line of red welling in a slash across the back of my hand.
“Well, stop hiding!” said Albion in an almost self-satisfied tone.
I emerged into the light then, holding my wrist as though this would somehow keep the blood from moving out of my hand. “You cut me,” I said stupidly, holding my hand up for him to see it.
He grunted, and leaned back against one of the cell’s barred walls. “You got what you deserve for skulking around in a dungeon,” he replied, logic that I found quite hard to refute.
“I just didn’t know if I wanted to talk to you, yet.”
He looked up at me with something like amusement in his eyes. “And now you do?”
“No.”
Albion chuckled. “Sit down,” he said, holding out his hand as though he were offering me a chair instead of the floor. I did. “So you’re the boy,” he said, squinting at me as though he were appraising a stolen diamond. “Thought you’d be smaller.”
I wasn’t sure if he was trying to flatter me. “I’m only twelve years old,” I replied.
“Is that what she’s telling you?” the man in the cage asked. “You think you’ve been here for a quick holiday, then? Do you know how long you’ve been in this castle, boy?”
I frowned. I didn’t feel any different than I had when I arrived, but I realized that I had no earthly idea how long I’d been at the Rookery. I shrugged. “I guess it’s been a few months,” I replied.
Albion belched, and I blinked in stunned amazement at his rudeness. “A few years, more like,” he replied. “But none of that matters. It’s past time you got out of this wretched place.”
Promise me we’ll leave this place. Bug’s voice still echoed in my ears, but I hardly trusted him. “You want to deliver me to Lady Elspeth,” I replied. “And she wants me dead.”
He chucked again. “She wants you gone, boy. Those two can overlap, but there’s a difference.”
Frantically, I wondered if the Red Lady had the power to send me home. Me and Bug, I reminded myself. We had to leave together. “I still don’t trust you,” I said hesitantly.
“Smart boy. Why should you? But I know you’re coming with me, anyway.”
I frowned. “How do you know that?”
He smiled, not warmly. “You trust her less,” he said, pointing to the ceiling. “And you’ll plan to run away from me in the night, while I’m sleeping.”
“And what if I do? Run away.”
He shrugged. “Then I’ll chase you. Maybe I’ll be out of luck, and maybe I’ll drag you back to Heart’s-Desire on the back of my horse like I did that guard today. It’s not a very good chance, but it’s more chance than you’ve got here.”
That much, at least, was true. “So let me guess: I find a way to get you out of here, and you get me out of Merry-Chase alive. Presumably, we make our way back to Heart’s-Desire, and presumably I will try to run away and get caught. We arrive back at the White Castle and we all live happily ever after?”
His eyes sparkled a bit in the dark. “Something like that.”
I paused, turning it over in my mind. I still didn’t trust him, but he was right. I trusted Lady Bloodrose less. “I have a bird in my belly,” I finally blurted.
“I know.”
“So, can you help me kill it? Bug said you might.” He stared at me for a long time, not speaking. “Listen, if I can’t kill this bird, we’re both as good as dead,” I said. “As soon as I fall asleep then the Lady is going to know everything.”
Albion nodded slowly. He was already sitting on the floor, so it took very little effort for him to reach down and produce a small vial from a pouch on the inside of his boot-top. He held it up to me, and I saw within a small piece of what appeared to be glowing metal.
“You’ll need to swallow it,” he said. “It’s going to make you very ill, and you’re going to wish you chose death, but it won’t kill you. It will kill that bird, and any other things you’ve got living inside you.” He then reached out and caught hold of my sleeve with one hand. “You’ll have to burn it, when it comes out,” he said, staring into my eyes with great intensity.
I don’t know what I had been expecting, but I’d really hoped that the process of getting rid of the thing would have been a bit easier than having it put in me in the first place. “If this is some trick…”
“You’ll be dead,” he finished. “But again, I think I’m your best hope.”
I took the vial, tucking it into the pouch beneath my tunic. “Then I guess we have a deal,” I said with a bitter laugh. I had half turned to leave, when I remembered. “There is one more thing,” I said, looking back over my shoulder.
“Hm?”
“Bug. She’s coming too.”
Again, Albion nodded slowly. I turned then, leaving him behind, and making my way back up the tower to my bed.
Back to normal RaTs posting for the next one.
Title: A Promise in the Shadows: Part 2
Main Story: Cryptomancy
Word Count: 1315
Rating: PG
Summary: Continued from A Promise in the Shadows. In which Chaill and Albion come to an understanding.
Albion was not as tame a creature as Bug. He’d followed the guards down with no resistance, I’d noticed, but his was clearly not a quiet soul. I only had to walk a little way before I heard wordless shouting, and I followed that until the shouts began to take shape.
“More wine!” seemed to be the favored cry, and as I followed the sound of his voice and he finally came into view, I could see there was already an empty bottle lying on its side next to him.
I held my breath as I approached, as though sneaking up on him would somehow help my cause. Clearly, the attempt had been misguided in itself, because I’d barely taken three steps when he shouted, “Who’s there?”
I stopped, not daring to move or breathe, just outside the halo of light thrown by a lanthorn hanging just outside Albion’s cell. He squinted into the darkness for a moment, then grasped the bottle by its neck and brought it down hard against the ground. It broke into several jagged pieces, little stones of green glass littering the floor of the dungeon. I let out a squeak at the sound, but clapped my hand over my mouth.
This was clearly a dangerous man. I’d been wrong to come looking for him, and Bug just hadn’t known what she’d been asking me to do. I would go upstairs, run back to bed, and perhaps she’d be wrong and the bird wouldn’t come out. Or perhaps the whole thing would turn out to be a dream, and I’d wake in my bed and don my livery and work with Bug in the aviary. Or perhaps even that had been a dream, and when I awoke I would be back home in London, and my father would be alive.
Albion picked up one of the larger pieces of debris left by the smashed bottle and flung it into the shadow. It sailed past my head. I was glad to be still covering my own mouth, or perhaps I would have gasped. “Who’s out there?” he asked again, picking up another fragment of glass. This one didn’t even come close to me, but I still remained rooted to the spot, unable, for some reason, to run.
Another piece of glass, and another. “Show yourself!” This time, when he threw the bit of glass, he did not miss me. It brushed against my hand, which made me pull it away from my face in shock. Then I did gasp, as I looked down to see a thin line of red welling in a slash across the back of my hand.
“Well, stop hiding!” said Albion in an almost self-satisfied tone.
I emerged into the light then, holding my wrist as though this would somehow keep the blood from moving out of my hand. “You cut me,” I said stupidly, holding my hand up for him to see it.
He grunted, and leaned back against one of the cell’s barred walls. “You got what you deserve for skulking around in a dungeon,” he replied, logic that I found quite hard to refute.
“I just didn’t know if I wanted to talk to you, yet.”
He looked up at me with something like amusement in his eyes. “And now you do?”
“No.”
Albion chuckled. “Sit down,” he said, holding out his hand as though he were offering me a chair instead of the floor. I did. “So you’re the boy,” he said, squinting at me as though he were appraising a stolen diamond. “Thought you’d be smaller.”
I wasn’t sure if he was trying to flatter me. “I’m only twelve years old,” I replied.
“Is that what she’s telling you?” the man in the cage asked. “You think you’ve been here for a quick holiday, then? Do you know how long you’ve been in this castle, boy?”
I frowned. I didn’t feel any different than I had when I arrived, but I realized that I had no earthly idea how long I’d been at the Rookery. I shrugged. “I guess it’s been a few months,” I replied.
Albion belched, and I blinked in stunned amazement at his rudeness. “A few years, more like,” he replied. “But none of that matters. It’s past time you got out of this wretched place.”
Promise me we’ll leave this place. Bug’s voice still echoed in my ears, but I hardly trusted him. “You want to deliver me to Lady Elspeth,” I replied. “And she wants me dead.”
He chucked again. “She wants you gone, boy. Those two can overlap, but there’s a difference.”
Frantically, I wondered if the Red Lady had the power to send me home. Me and Bug, I reminded myself. We had to leave together. “I still don’t trust you,” I said hesitantly.
“Smart boy. Why should you? But I know you’re coming with me, anyway.”
I frowned. “How do you know that?”
He smiled, not warmly. “You trust her less,” he said, pointing to the ceiling. “And you’ll plan to run away from me in the night, while I’m sleeping.”
“And what if I do? Run away.”
He shrugged. “Then I’ll chase you. Maybe I’ll be out of luck, and maybe I’ll drag you back to Heart’s-Desire on the back of my horse like I did that guard today. It’s not a very good chance, but it’s more chance than you’ve got here.”
That much, at least, was true. “So let me guess: I find a way to get you out of here, and you get me out of Merry-Chase alive. Presumably, we make our way back to Heart’s-Desire, and presumably I will try to run away and get caught. We arrive back at the White Castle and we all live happily ever after?”
His eyes sparkled a bit in the dark. “Something like that.”
I paused, turning it over in my mind. I still didn’t trust him, but he was right. I trusted Lady Bloodrose less. “I have a bird in my belly,” I finally blurted.
“I know.”
“So, can you help me kill it? Bug said you might.” He stared at me for a long time, not speaking. “Listen, if I can’t kill this bird, we’re both as good as dead,” I said. “As soon as I fall asleep then the Lady is going to know everything.”
Albion nodded slowly. He was already sitting on the floor, so it took very little effort for him to reach down and produce a small vial from a pouch on the inside of his boot-top. He held it up to me, and I saw within a small piece of what appeared to be glowing metal.
“You’ll need to swallow it,” he said. “It’s going to make you very ill, and you’re going to wish you chose death, but it won’t kill you. It will kill that bird, and any other things you’ve got living inside you.” He then reached out and caught hold of my sleeve with one hand. “You’ll have to burn it, when it comes out,” he said, staring into my eyes with great intensity.
I don’t know what I had been expecting, but I’d really hoped that the process of getting rid of the thing would have been a bit easier than having it put in me in the first place. “If this is some trick…”
“You’ll be dead,” he finished. “But again, I think I’m your best hope.”
I took the vial, tucking it into the pouch beneath my tunic. “Then I guess we have a deal,” I said with a bitter laugh. I had half turned to leave, when I remembered. “There is one more thing,” I said, looking back over my shoulder.
“Hm?”
“Bug. She’s coming too.”
Again, Albion nodded slowly. I turned then, leaving him behind, and making my way back up the tower to my bed.